ICC Durban’s chief executive officer, Alec Gilbert, has been appointed the ICCA (International Convention and Conference Association) board member to represent the Africa/Middle East geographical region.

His participation in ICCA events dates back to the ICCA conference in Istanbul, Turkey in 1993. Since then he has been a regular at ICCA Conferences and Exhibitions and has participated in a number of task teams.

After winning the Best Marketing Award in Tokyo in 1998, he adjudicated on that panel for the next three years, and was a Working Group Chairman in Lisbon in 1999. He was elected Africa Chairperson.

Geographical representation on the Board presents an exciting opportunity for the Africa/Middle East region “We now have the chance to promote our profile and perhaps organize ICCA events that are more suited to our needs,” Alec Gilbert explains. “We can also provide a fresh perspective to debate and policy. We are two quite separate regions, condensed into one because of the size of our individual memberships.”